Dueling Call-to-Prayer August 1, 2016

[Martin Hash]

The center of Christendom for a 1000 years, starting in 532 AD, was the “Wisdom of God,” Sophia in Latin, cathedral in Constantinople, now Istanbul, until it was conquered by the Turks and turned into a mosque for another 500 years. The Byzantine-style architecture was subsequently adopted by Islam for future mosques, including the famous “Blue Mosque” that sits in the same plaza facing Hagia Sophia, including the one thing all mosques have in common which the minarets for broadcasting the Call-to-Prayer chant five times per day.

Hagia Sophia.JPG

Blue Mosque.JPG

At early dusk, my wife, Gwynne, and other “wife,” Sherry, were sitting in the plaza eating ice cream cones offered by a street vendor in the popular tourist location halfway between the two mosques. I stood and took pictures, first of Hagia Sophia with its lights just coming on in the falling darkness, then of the Blue Mosque, when Call-to-Prayer began. First the loud speakers from the Blue Mosque began the eerie wailing, then to my surprise, the loud speakers from Hagia Sophia started up with a completely different call, though both presumably both callers were creating a melodic rendition of the phrase “Allah Akbar,” God is great. After several seconds of this dueling vocalization, I couldn't help but turn on the iPhone's recording. This was the kind of event that probably occurs no where else in the world, certainly not between two such renown & historic edifices, both central to their respective religion at one time, yet mirror images of one another now.